Books like 'The Mandolin Lunch'
Readers who enjoyed The Mandolin Lunch by Missouri Vaun also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance forced proximity third-person-pov dual-pov office small town independent heroine poor heroine single-mother
-
When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass
Caroline Parker knows three things to be true. First, she is going to be Boston's most sought after divorce attorney by thirty-five. Second, given how terrible her romantic track record is, falling in love isn't in the cards for her. And third, Christmas only brings her bad luck - being broken up with not once, not twice, but three times during the holidays is proof enough of that... -
Above all Things by Roslyn Sinclair
The Carlisle saga continues…Aspiring writer Jules Moretti and iconic fashion editor Vivian Carlisle have been through the wringer.As Vivian’s personal assistant, Jules was there for her ice queen boss’s whims, commands, and the shocking discovery of her pregnancy. Just as shocking was Jules’s realization that she was falling hard for Vivian…and that the feeling was mutual... -
Hotel Queens by Lee Winter
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIce meets fire in this opposites-attract lesbian romance, as layered, sassy, and smart as its characters. Over one long night at a bar in Las Vegas, two powerful hotel executives meet, flirt, and challenge each other—having no clue they’re rivals after the same dream deal.Brilliant ice queen Amelia Duxton is a hotel vice president who thrives on control, truth, and efficiency...Categorized as:
dual-pov third-person-pov queer f-f cold heroine contemporary childfree-couple from hate to love -
Broken Beyond Repair by Emily Banting
WINNER OF THE QUEER INDIE AWARDS 2022 CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE CATEGORYAn age gap, celebrity ice queen romance that will pull at the heart strings — even the icy ones!Sydney MacKenzie, personal assistant to the rich and famous, is looking forward to a well-earned break to go travelling in her beloved VW camper van, Gertie — that is, until Gertie cries off sick...Categorized as:
office forced proximity queer f-f contemporary age difference boss & employee bisexual -
-
If I Don't Ask by E.J. Noyes
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRebecca Keane has it all figured out. With a successful career as an Army surgeon and a fresh promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, she loves her life leading a surgical team. Even if that life means she’s spent years hiding her sexuality and ignoring her desires under the Army’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer f-f contemporary military boss & employee forbidden love first-person-pov -
The Music and the Mirror by Lola Keeley
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAnna is the newest member of an elite ballet company. Her first class with her mysterious idol, Victoria, almost ruins her career before it starts. When she shows she might be a potential star, Victoria chooses Anna to launch a new season around. Now Anna must face down jealousy, sabotage and injury, not to mention navigate the circus of friends and lovers within the company...Categorized as:
forced proximity office queer dual-pov third-person-pov f-f age difference cold heroine -
The Love Conspiracy: An Age-Gap Lesbian Romance by J.J. Arias
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsCould you fall in love with your husband’s mistress?Forty-year-old Veronica Marin is a force to be reckoned with - a fierce trial lawyer who's always in control, including in her marriage to Gabe. But when a stranger shows up and exposes Gabe's infidelity, Veronica's reality is rocked. Her solution? To track down all of Gabe's unsuspecting partners before filing for divorce... -
Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect... Accountant Samantha Ennis craves order and structure. As the bookkeeper at the boutique advertising agency she owns with her three best friends, it’s her job to apply logic to the chaos. When one of those best friends, laid back Hunter Blair, moves in to share her loft apartment, Sam’s carefully organized world is thrown wildly askew... -
Mutual Benefits by H.P. Munro
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsComing out to your loved ones is stressful, so when Hannah Melville’s family not only accept but celebrate her accidental announcement, it should be a relief. Which it would be, if Hannah was gay.Ashley West isn’t looking for a relationship. When she’s set up by her mother on a blind date, she’s ready to nip any expectations in the bud. She’s less prepared for her love interest to be straight... -
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake
Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, her parents are still in marital bliss. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. So what if she usually cries in her Lyft on the way home. So what if she misses her friends, who are so busy with their own wonderful love lives, they don’t really notice Iris is spiraling...Categorized as:
dual-pov forced proximity third-person-pov small town queer contemporary f-f new adult -
Chemistry by Rachael Sommers
An opposites-attract, ice queen lesbian romance about finding the softest of hearts behind the highest walls.Newly minted high school teacher Lily Cross is young, bubbly, and can’t wait to put her fresh ideas into practice in the classroom. Her excitement is derailed after a disastrous run-in with a colleague...Categorized as:
office dual-pov third-person-pov queer from hate to love f-f age difference contemporary -
These Thin Lines by Milena McKay
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSome lines should never be crossed...In the heart of Paris, Chiara Conti is a Queen trapped in an Ivory Tower of haute couture, fortune and lovelessness. Lonely and dejected, she’s longing for inspiration, for direction, for understanding.When Vi Courtenay falls at her feet, losing her shoe like a veritable Cinderella, events are set in motion that will unravel their carefully fashioned lives... -
Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae
At a singles auction where no one was bidding on love, a warmhearted ER nurse finds herself dating a prickly doctor in this enemies-to-lovers lesbian romance.Ellie Fisher loves most things about being a nurse in the emergency department…just not working with Regina Novak, an icy attending physician who acts as if she’s God’s gift to medicine.The dislike is completely mutual...Categorized as:
office forced proximity dual-pov third-person-pov queer f-f contemporary from hate to love -
Breaking Character by Lee Winter
Life has become a farcical mess for icy British A-lister Elizabeth Thornton. America’s most-hated villain stars in a top-rated TV medical drama that she hates. Now, she’s been romantically linked to her perky, new co-star, Summer, due to the young woman’s clumsiness. As a closeted actress, that’s the last thing Elizabeth needs...Categorized as:
office dual-pov third-person-pov forced proximity queer f-f age difference contemporary -
-
Just for Show by Jae
When Claire, an overachieving psychologist with OCD tendencies, hires Lana, an impulsive, out-of-work actress for a fake relationship, she figures the worst she’ll have to endure are the messes Lana leaves around. It’s only for a few months anyway. And it’s not as if she’ll enjoy all those fake kisses and loving looks. Right? A lesbian romance where role-playing has never been so irresistible...Categorized as:
dual-pov third-person-pov queer f-f angst contemporary fake relationship explicit-open-door -
Say Cheese by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn a small town teetering on the brink of collapse, will one woman's arrival seal a factory’s fate or open the floodgate for love and redemption?Elle Robinson's world is literally swept away when a raging flood sends her car careening toward certain doom, only to be rescued by Angela Lane – a spirited, self-reliant, and unexpected savior who pulls Elle back from the edge of calamity... -
Fated Love by Radclyffe
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat do you do when your carefully planned life takes a wrong turn into hell? When Quinn Maguire, a dashing young trauma surgeon, unaccountably accepts a position as an ER physician, her new boss, Honor Blake, suspects that Quinn is hiding a dark secret. While the two declare an uneasy truce in an effort to work together, both struggle with mutual, and unexpected, attraction... -
And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 20 ratings**Recipient of three 2008 "Goldies" from the Golden Crown Literary Society, the premier organization for the support and nourishment of quality lesbian literature. And Playing the Role of Herself won in the categories of Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Debut Author, and the Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award. Congratulations to K. E...Categorized as:
forced proximity office queer contemporary f-f first-person-pov famous heroine lgbtqia hate -
Pas de deux by E.J. Noyes
Caitlyn Lloyd has the world at her feet. Or more accurately—under her horse’s hooves. With the 2016 Rio Olympics just around the corner, nothing is going to derail her long-held dream of winning a medal or two in Olympic dressage. Not even the reappearance of a childhood so-not-a-friend throwing her perfectly balanced life into disarray...Categorized as:
forced proximity dual-pov queer sports f-f from hate to love contemporary first-person-pov -
The No Kiss Contract by Nan Campbell
Despite being the youngest partner at her firm, corporate attorney Davy Dugan is gunning for a recently vacant name partnership—it would mean finally having the power to make a real change in her conservative workplace. But eighty-hour workweeks don’t allow any time with her much younger half-sister, Tally, who doesn’t seem to need Davy in her life anyway...Categorized as:
dual-pov third-person-pov single-mother queer f-f contemporary from hate to love fake relationship -
Beyond Any Experience by Anne E. Terpstra
Olivia Northman’s world shattered the day she lost her wife to a drunk driver. Three years later, she still struggles with grief and the demands of being a single parent to their autistic son, Ben. After her first attempt at a new relationship crumbles, she retreats to the simple, the predictable. It’s what’s best for her son, and her heart.Ellie Vasquez isn’t simple or predictable...Categorized as:
third-person-pov dual-pov single-mother queer f-f contemporary age difference neurodivergent -
If You Kiss Me Like That by Harper Bliss
Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it.Ashley ‘Ash’ Cooper is still reeling after her recent divorce, throwing all her energy into her job in The City. When she’s seated next to one of her mother’s friends at a family party, falling in love is the last thing on her mind.After losing her husband many years ago, Gloria Young rebuilt herself as a single parent... -
First Position by Melissa Brayden
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsAnastasia Mikhelson is the rising star of the New York City Ballet. She’s sacrificed creature comforts, a social life, as well as her own physical well-being for perfection in dance. Even her reputation as The Ice Queen doesn’t faze her. Though Ana’s at the peak of her career, competition from a new and noteworthy dancer puts all she’s worked for in jeopardy...Categorized as:
office forced proximity queer third-person-pov dual-pov f-f from hate to love new adult -
Kiss the Girl by Melissa Brayden
Sleeping with the enemy has never been so complicated. Twenty-eight-year-old Brooklyn Campbell is having a bad day. A speeding ticket, a towed car, and a broken heel are all working against her laid-back vibe. To top it all off, her birth mother, whom she's never met, has requested contact. The only bright spot is an impromptu date with a beautiful and mysterious brunette...Categorized as:
dual-pov third-person-pov queer contemporary f-f age difference from hate to love humor -
-
Just a Touch Away by Jae
An ice queen’s frosty façade is melted by the power of touchHannah Martin has an unusual job: she’s a professional cuddler. While she has a big heart for her clients, she hasn’t found someone special to snuggle up to in her personal life.Winter Sullivan isn’t looking for love. She’s an aloof workaholic who’s built walls of ice around herself...Categorized as:
forced proximity dual-pov queer third-person-pov age difference from hate to love f-f humor -
Temptation by Kris Bryant
Cassie Miller is broke. Her parents cut off all funding when she dropped out of medical school, and graduate school is expensive. A full-time nanny job at the Wellington estate is the answer to her problems, except working for beautiful, successful Brook Wellington wasn't in the job description. Brook has always had a head for business... -
Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
A single text message can change everything! Flirting has never been Denny’s strong suit, but so what if she’s too shy to ask women out? She’s content with her simple life, working as a cashier and helping her sister raise her niece...Categorized as:
dual-pov third-person-pov queer f-f contemporary humor grumpy sunshine friends to lovers -
Passing Through by Katia Rose
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNestled in a towering fir forest on British Columbia’s famous Vancouver Island, Three Rivers Campground is calling you to come relax, explore, and maybe even fall in love...Emily Rivers does not have time for love.Or dating.Or even a one night stand... -
A Life Worth Living by Monica McCallan
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsNora Gallagher can begrudgingly admit that she and Gray Ferris are both stellar Philadelphia real estate agents, but that’s the beginning and the end of the similarities between them.Nora’s life has been in a self-imposed holding pattern for half a decade. Depending on people in her personal life only leads to disappointment, and she has no plans of making that mistake again... -
A Life Worth Living by Monica McCallan
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNora Gallagher can begrudgingly admit that she and Gray Ferris are both stellar Philadelphia real estate agents, but that’s the beginning and the end of the similarities between them.Nora’s life has been in a self-imposed holding pattern for half a decade. Depending on people in her personal life only leads to disappointment, and she has no plans of making that mistake again... -
The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair
A smart, sexy lesbian romance about facing the truth about your desires…and risking everything. Laurie Holcombe is out of a job, out of luck, and out of time. When a prestigious law firm hires her as an assistant to one of its senior partners, it feels like she might finally get back on her feet. All she has to do is put up with the whims of her infuriatingly icy boss, Diana...Categorized as:
forced proximity office dual-pov queer f-f age difference contemporary boss & employee -
Beginner's Bet by Fiona Riley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEllison Gamble owns the most successful luxury real estate firm in Boston, but the accomplishment feels hollow when she comes home to an empty house.Institutionalizing her mother for her own safety was the hardest thing Katie Crawford has ever done. The costs are becoming more than she can manage, and her only solution is to sell her childhood home that has fallen into disrepair...Categorized as:
dual-pov third-person-pov poor heroine queer contemporary f-f age difference pregnancy -
Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn offbeat lesbian romantic comedy starring penguins, plotting, and payback.Muffin maker Olivia Roberts has had it with her awful exes taking advantage of her good nature. The theft of her nana’s beloved stuffed penguin is the absolute last straw.She puts up an ad at her local crime bookstore for a henchperson to help her enact a little mild revenge... -
Sparks Like Ours by Melissa Brayden
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsGia Malone wants one thing and one thing only: to be the best surfer in the world. Her biggest obstacle is the annoyingly perky Elle Britton. Not only is Elle number one in the rankings, she’s also a fan favorite. But there’s a lot about Elle that Gia never noticed, like her surprising sense of humor and picture-perfect mouth. Elle Britton is tired...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer sports contemporary f-f from hate to love cheerful heroine heroine athlete -
-
Back to September by Melissa Brayden
Hannah Shephard likes her life, her job, and her perfectly cozy apartment around the corner from her shop. She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel, so why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble...Categorized as:
forced proximity office queer contemporary f-f open-door famous heroine rich heroine -
About That Kiss by Harper Bliss
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWhat if the greatest role of your life is playing your true self?Ida Burton used to be Hollywood’s sweetheart until the best roles started drying up in her forties.When Ida lands one of the leads in a big-budget lesbian rom-com, it's not only a chance at reviving her dwindling career. Maybe this movie can be an opportunity to finally burst out of the closet she's forced herself into... -
Dance with Me by Georgia Beers
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIs there anything worse than your I-don’t-do-commitment ex finally getting married? Not according to Scottie Templeton. Factor in living with her grandma, her rattletrap car, and never-ending job struggles, and Scottie’s stressed...Categorized as:
third-person-pov dual-pov single-mother queer f-f contemporary from hate to love angst -
Body Check: A Lesbian Romance by J.J. Arias
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsTo win it all, rivals will have to get dirty and play together Fabiola Santos never expected to be back on Cutthroat Island, the reality competition show she lost six years earlier. But when the opportunity to redeem herself and win half a million dollars comes along, she can’t pass it up... -
Integrity by E.J. Noyes
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIt's an ordinary workday when intelligence analyst Lexie Martin learns about a horrific chemical weapon attack abroad. Just an ordinary day...until a stranger breaks into her house and warns her to forget what she saw and heard, setting off a chain of events Lexie thought only happened in movies... -
Whipped by J.J. Arias
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIf she can’t get through to her in the office, she’ll smash into her on skates. . .Newly minted lawyer Cheyenne Flores-Moore is excited to start her career at one of the most prestigious law firms in Miami. That is, until she meets her mentor Erica. It seems that no matter what she does, she can’t win her over - something the perennially sunny Cheyenne has not experienced before... -
All the Little Moments by G. Benson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA successful anaesthetist, Anna is focused on herself, her career, and her girlfriend. Everything changes abruptly when her brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths devastate her and her family. Left responsible for her young niece and nephew, Anna finds herself dumped and alone in Melbourne, a city she doesn’t even like... -
Not the Marrying Kind by Jae
Small-town florist Ashley Gaines loves her little flower shop and putting together the perfect bouquets for weddings and other happy occasions. Her own love life, however, is far from blossoming. Ash has decided that staying in the closet is safer than risking her heart again. Local bakery owner Sasha Peterson hasn’t had much luck mixing it up with romance either...Categorized as:
forced proximity dual-pov third-person-pov small town queer f-f secret-relationship contemporary -
The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Lambda Literary award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage-of-convenience...Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter... -
Just Physical by Jae
After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, twenty-five-year-old Jill Corrigan takes herself off the romantic market. Not wanting to become a burden to a potential partner, she focuses on her career as an actress instead. On the set of a disaster movie, she meets stunt woman Kristine “Crash” Patterson, whose easy smile instantly makes Jill wish things were different... -
-
In Development by Rachel Spangler
From a young age, Cobie Galloway made a career of playing the girl-next-door on the silver screen. Only, she's not a teenager anymore. Ready to challenge herself artistically and earn the part she's always dreamed of, she's forced to face the realization that in order to win the roles afforded to edgier actresses, she might first have to audition by playing someone edgier in her day-to-day life... -
Paper Love by Jae
Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan in this lesbian romance from best-selling author Jae. Susanne Wolff isn’t thrilled when her mother sends her all the way across the country to Freiburg to save her uncle’s stationery store from bankruptcy. Freiburg is too provincial for her taste, and besides, pen and paper are outdated anyway...Categorized as:
dual-pov forced proximity third-person-pov office queer f-f contemporary from hate to love -
Chemistry Lessons by Jae
Sometimes the perfect person has been right in front of you all alongKylie and Regan have been best friends since kindergarten, supporting each other through thick and thin.While everyone thinks they would be perfect for each other, they insist there’s no chemistry between them—and Regan should know since she’s a chemistry teacher... -
Perfect Rhythm by Jae
Pop star Leontyne Blake might sing about love, but she stopped believing in it a long time ago. What women want is her image, not the real her. When her father has a stroke, she flees the spotlight and returns to her tiny Missouri hometown. In her childhood home, she meets small-town nurse Holly Drummond, who isn’t impressed by Leo’s fame at all... -
Something's Different by Quinn Ivins
Unemployed academic Caitlyn Taylor comes home to family drama. Her carefree twin Chloe plans to ditch her job to visit a guy she met online. Caitlyn steps in to impersonate Chloe so she won’t get fired for skipping town. Unfortunately, this means answering phones for an icy, dismissive boss.Busy college president Ruth Holloway never paid much attention to her mediocre assistant... -
Jericho by Ann McMan
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsLibrarian Syd Murphy flees the carnage of a failed marriage by accepting an eighteen-month position in Jericho–a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia...Categorized as:
forced proximity third-person-pov dual-pov small town independent heroine queer contemporary f-f
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.